It's Better, But...

 

"Birds know themselves not to be the center of anything, but at the margins of everything. The end of the map. We only live where someone's horizon sweeps someone else's. We are only noticed on the edge of things; but on the edge of things, we notice much."

~Gregory Maguire

Out Of Oz

 

It's Better, But...

 

I had to pick up a prescription the other day, and because I am a very lucky woman, Alan offered to get it for me, while I waited in the car. Fortunately, I  had my camera with me, which meant I got to play with a group of Cedar Waxwings floating just above my head. Cedar Waxwings travel in communities. This particular community had about 12 or so, which means there was a pretty good chance I would be hit by a bird bomb, or at least one of those juicy berries the birds were getting drunk on. That is the blessing and curse of owning a car with a sunroof, but I happily chanced it, and to my delight, they didn't hit me, or the interior of Bridget, once. The outside got some poop, but the only thing that made it's way inside the car was the berries that fell off the branch as they ate. I had the same trouble getting the wingtips and tails, but look how pretty they look in the sunshine! The photos are better than the last time I tried to photograph them, but practice will make perfect.

It's Better, But...

 

Can you believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve?

 

 

No cold, Flu or Covid-19 so far. Yep, you read that right, our most recent Covid-19 home test is negative, so could 2022 be the year that breaks the spell? Will this be, the first time since moving to the San Joaquin Valley, that Alan and I aren't sick on Christmas? To be clear, we have both been sick on Christmas in other years, but not with the consistency we have experienced since moving here. We have been sick, EVERY... SINGLE... YEAR since 2015! Life is an adventure, but last year was a little more than an adventure, and I would rather not repeat it. Sometimes it feels like Covid-19 is just waiting in the wings, like with the original Omicron, which was basically unavoidable. Shrug. The numbers are climbing here again. They are climbing everywhere, because folks are dumb as dirt, and don't take it seriously. Sigh. If you look at the stats, things are definitely better than last year, but, there is even more room to improve, and the problem is, I can do my part, but if the guy at the store next to me isn't, I am sunk. I guess that is pretty much true about most situations in life. 

Sigh. I guess the best we can hope for at this point it is,

 

 IT'S BETTER, BUT... .

 

 ~Me

Wait! It's The 7th? And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #76 and #77

 

"The wind was as ripe as apples,

 so full of fall that you could almost bit every breath."

 

~Robert Newton Peck

Soup

 

 Well, it seems I have missed a few postings, or at one posting. You see, I have been out enjoying the last few days, with a great sense of love for my favorite season. The Sandill cranes, and all the birds really, seem to be falling in numbers. The usual places don't have nearly the number of birds I would expect this time of year, but then it hasn't been as cold, nor has their been as much rain, and really, almost everything is lacking in normality. There is an avian flu amongst the bird populations, and unfortunately I think the powers that be are attempting to lessen the spread by humans, so they are taking the necessary steps to prevent us from spreading the germs on our feet. The Monterey Bay avian exhibit is temporarily closed for that very reason. And, as a result, my bird friends aren't showing up in the numbers I had hoped, and are moving on at a faster pace. But, I found a few cranes to play with, and they always seem to pose for me, or they are at least patient while I take their photos, so I was able to enjoy that.

 

Tonight there is a full moon. But not just any full moon, the last full moon of 2022. I like the December moon very much, and tonight this full moon brings along a friend! Mars will be seen in the form of a lunar osculation as Mars meets the moon, then disappears behind it, then eventually returns on the other side. It sounds pretty cool. I don't know if I will be able to watch all of it, the cold and my arthritis don't happily hold hands in the cold months. Shrug. But speaking of cold months, not only does the full moon tonight carry the name of Cold Moon, it has many other names as well! I am not sure which one I like the most, but I think I traditionally, when I posted about the full moon, I went with the Full Snow Moon. It's a pretty name, don't you think so? Oh well. Yes. We will go with that name. If I get any good shots tonight I will come back and update this post below.

 

1. Full Cold Moon - Mohawk 

2. Full Snow Moon - Haida and Cherokee

3. Winter Maker Moon - Western Abenaki 

 

It's the holiday season, so things are busy, and there is the added attraction of waiting on ordered packages. One has to be right on top of things, or the packages are stolen right off the porch!

 

I can't wait to see more!

 

~Me

 

Frost At Night And Warm Sunny Days and #75

 

"It was the best time of year. Frost at night and warm, sunny days, when yellows and oranges of the aspens and cottonwoods did something to the blue of the sky behind them that an artist might never mimic."

 

~Peter Heller

Celine

 

This, is a Dark-eyed Junco. He's a difficult little bird to photograph. He is small, and fast, and mostly gets his meals from the ground, and that means he hides under bushes and piles of leaves. Fortunately for me, they are in great numbers so finding them isn't really difficult, and while it seems like I am complaining, I am not. I enjoy the process of photographing birds, no two are the same, and sometimes it comes with elements I wish didn't exist. Like finding the perfect shot, which includes ... gulp... them chowing down on another bird. Such as a Kestrel eating a Sparrow. The Dark-eyed Junco is absolutely worth the effort it takes to photograph them, now if only they would stand still so I could get a really good photo! This is my second attempt this year, and while it's not as good as I would have liked, I think I will quit while I am ahead, and on a high note!

~Me

 

 

Scarlet, Saffron And Russet

 

"Autumn that year painted the countryside in vivid shades of

 scarlet, saffron and russet,

 and the days were clear and crisp under harvest skies."

 

~Sharon Kay Penman

Time And Chance

 

 ~Me

Welcome Friends!

 

"Fall has always been my favorite season.

 The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale."

 

~Lauren DeStefano

 

The Snow Geese have arrived on Desmond Road!

 And isn't it beautiful?

 

~Me

 

 

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #44

 

"If of all the seasons, there is a season in which a person completely forgets himself and constantly watches the magical environment, it is undoubtedly autumn!"

 

~Mehmet Murat ildan

 

 

This is the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. I looked most of last year, and a fair amount of this year, for this tiny creature, and then finally gave up thinking it was nothing more than an urban legend. LOL. Then yesterday, dear hubby caught a glimpse of it when it buzzed right at him, practically giving him a kiss, while he was sitting in the car at Cull Canyon Park. I was off photographing leaves, and as I returned to the car, I saw this gorgeous little bird, about the size of a hummingbird hanging around, buzzing really fast around my car. Isn't that always the way? And I left home without my SD card for my camera, and when I finally did find one in my purse, I snapped it into my camera and the camera broke! Yesterday was quite the adventure! But I finally have a Ruby-crowned Kinglet for my file, and with that bird I am at 122 for the year, with about 7 weeks left. What will my final number be? I don't know, but I do know I am going to see a lot of beauty between then and now, and hubby and I will help each other get there. Life is pretty good.

 

A Tale Of Two Roads And #11

 "September days have the warmth of summer in their hours, but in their lengthening evening a prophetic breath of autumn."

~Rowland E. Robinson

 

Desmond road

Galt, California

Spring, 2022
 

I speak a lot about Desmond road, and the Woodbridge Wildlife Preserve in, Lodi, California, so I thought it would be nice to give them their own post. I have enjoyed them very much this year! I saw, and photographed, my first bald eagle on Desmond road, last spring, and another moment I will never forget was seeing was a small flock of Sandhill Cranes flying in circle over my car on Woodbridge road, on the very day they returned to Lodi. It was so soul stirring I think I aged backwards at least two years! Birding has been good for me, I hope I can see all the birds on my list this year, but it's okay if it takes me ten years to find them, because it will always be the ones you didn't count on being there, that fill those little parts of my heart that needs healing the most. That's the way it is with bird watching. It's kinda like a treasure hunt. Even if there are no birds to be found, there is always a beautiful pier, park, forest, or just a gorgeous road, in the middle of nowhere, that's discovered along the way, and if you are lucky, you just might see a bald eagle, or a Sandhill Crane!

 

Desmomd road

Galt, California

September 2022

 Woodbridge road

September 2022

Woodbridge road

September 2022

 

And...

 

 

 

 ~Me

Western Meadowlark

 

"Some birds are not meant to be caged, that's all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place, rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure."

 

~Stephen King

Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption

 

There has been a lot of happy colors in this year, so I really need to remind myself about how lucky I am. In an attempt to remind myself of all the real joy in my world, I have been tip-toeing through the photographs I have done in the wilds of the San Joaquin Valley thus far. I seemed to have organically done a lot of groups of the birds that were in the greatest numbers, rather than taken a one and and done approach to my photography and bird counts. So, for the next few posts, or so, I will be showcasing these beautiful and vibrant birds. Up first, the gorgeous Western Meadowlark, which I mostly found along Desmond road, in lower Sacramento County. This bird really seemed to love my little red Mini Cooper!

 

 

Does Summer Really Exist? And Other Existential Questions

 

"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the threes, just as things grow in fast movies, I had the familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer."

 

~F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

It's an undisputed fact that I hate... loathe... detest... no wait... hate is the word. HATE I tells ya... I HATE summer, and today is the first day of it. This unmannered season will be roughly 90 days long, and it basically started during the night last night. It was so hot that I couldn't sleep. Why not turn on the air- conditioner? Well, it can't be on 24/7. I live in California, land of the rolling blackouts, where silly PG&E customers like using the air-conditioner when it's oppressively HOT. Go figure.

 

Yesterday, however, was a whole other season, spring, and the picture above is the last bird photograph of spring. From January 1st, when I officially began birding, I have photographed 99 birds, and that bird the, Ash-throated Flycatcher, is the bird which holds that spot. Roughly the size of an American Robin, and fast, it was a challenge to photograph, which is just how I like it. It feels good to have something of beauty to concentrate on, for long periods of time, or even in jumpy little glimpses, it's all good because it's life and beauty, brand new to my old eyes.

 

Bird watching has done a lot for me. It has allowed me to step out of all the things I carry. I wish I was the kind of person that could let go of stupid shit, decades old. I wish I could stop pining for the 80's and all the fun I had. I wish my body worked like it did back then. I wish old loves and friends would stop coming by my dreams in the middle of the night, especially on oppressively hot nights. I wish. But as my old friend would say, "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride." I am not completely sure I like that old saying, but it makes the point perfectly, doesn't it? 

By the way, I got my hair cut today. It's the shortest it's ever been, and it feels amazing. And if I am telling the truth, for the first day of summer, it wasn't nearly as hot as the last few days of spring. So is it really summer? I mean does each season really exist, just because someone got hot one day, and in place of calling it HELLISH, they named it summer? Is summer just trying to get on my good side? Do I hate it as much as I think I do? Shrug. I think... sigh... life is for the birds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

~Me

June 21st 2021

Hanging On By A Blue Egret

 

"As a species we're fundamentally insane. Put more than two of us in a room, we pick sides and start dreaming up reasons to kill one another. Why do you think we invented politics and religion?

 

~Stephen King

 

 

I was retired from political observation, right? Joe Biden being elected president would fix my need to drown myself in political scandal, intrigue, and tragedy... right? Okay, there would be the occasional hiccup, but that's to be expected. January 20th is the day I begin to heal from all I have feared the last 5 1/2 years. I will be able to sleep again. I'm going to take a six month nap, because the man who blew himself up on Christmas Day was a one-off. I will smile again. Sleep again. Eat without a pit in my stomach. No more feeling like I have to have MSNBC in every room that has a TV in it, because I am terrified that an idiot president might launch the nuclear codes.

 

What Was I thinking?

 

Yesterday, In The News

 

*As it turns out, if we haven't gotten our second stimulus check, we more than likely won't. We will have to apply for a credit on our tax return. That wasn't part of the deal. I mean, how exactly does that stimulate the economy? It was such a small amount that we were planning on using it to pay the taxes anyway, but it would have been nice to be able to at least put it in the safe in case something bad happens between now and April 15th. Thanks Mnuchin. And Trump.

 

*GOP leader Kevin McCarthy went to Florida for an audience with Donald Trump. A couple weeks ago, McCarthy said Trump was to blame for the attack on the Capitol.

 

*The Justice Department is warning of violence breaking out, before, during or after the upcoming Impeachment trial.

 

*This past week, Donald Trump created, "Office Of The Former President." Which is a new one. Ordinarily, former presidents simply go away and enjoy the rest of their lives. Not Cheeto-Jesus. He is apparently planning to insinuate himself into our lives for sometime to come.

 

*Not to be outdone, Melania Trump hired two assistants yesterday, to help her continue her work with her "Be Best" campaign. Again, most first ladies go quietly about their lives, in civilian life, and allow the incoming first lady to handle her new duties and platform without interruption or competition for attention. 

 

Donald Trump's supporters continue to believe that Joe Biden stole the election. He didn't, but that's not good enough for the cultists. They truly believe the lie. They believe their leader, because that's what unstable folks do. They believe the lie at all costs. Jobs, family, friends, neighbors, life in general ceases to matter, just their leader and achieving their ultimate goals. In this case, human life appears to matter very little to these folks. The goal must happen at all costs. See, Jonestown, The Branch Dividian Church, or Heaven's Gate cults. None of them ended without bloodshed. And a lot of devastated families. Life has repeated itself too many times, in my lifetime, to not notice the similarities with the Trump cult.

 

Sigh.

 

I want to be wrong, but I am terrified. All I want is a quiet life. For some rest from the lunacy of the last four years, and to have a little hope that societal and political tensions will calm. Politics will always be batshit, and it's never been for the faint of heart, but the level of stress and fear I have felt have had a detrimental affect on not just my mental health, but on my physical health as well. I am scared to death that I will never be able to live my life, without a Trump, somewhere, affecting every single day. I just want it to be over, now that it is over.

 

This past week I got to rest. I read a little from a new book I purchased. We watched some movies. I ate a little better. I did some photography, and listened to some music. I started a new playlist on Spotify. Encouraged a friend. All that sounds great, right? But little by little the fear has crept back in, as more unfolds about what all is happening in our American existence. America is a dark place to live, and it's getting darker. Trump, and some of his minions are off social media, so at least Twitter is a lot nicer place to be, but the batshit just never stops, and it is a concern of mine, that for it to stop, something tragic will have to take place. I am afraid we are going to see another day like 9/11, and the powers that be on the right, see it coming too, but don't care, because they are still scared to death of Donald Trump.

 

So, what's a more than causal observer of politics to do? I can care, or I can be the person who refuses see the unpleasantness so they can look away. Well, if those are my choices, you know where I fall. I have never been able to ignore politics. When I see the rise of fascism, the granting of credibility to conspiracy theories and attempted coups of America, how exactly do I look away? I can't. But I may try to find some balance. After all, Trump isn't in power... Biden is. I have my reading. My venting here. Autumn images. And I have my bird watching. All things I am currently enjoying. Although, bird watching is probably my favorite of the activities I mentioned. Sigh. The problem is, some days I feel like I am just barely hanging on by a blue egret. 

 

~Carly

Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese And White Pelicans

 

"Birds were created to record everything.

 They were not designed to be beautiful jewels in the sky,

 but to serve as the eyes of heaven."

 

~Daphne du Maurier

The Birds And Other Short Stories

 

My love affair with discovering new birds continues. My latest set of photos, from my two favorite bird watching spots, Woodbridge Ecological Reserve, in Lodi, and the Cosumnes River Reserve, in Galt, have each provided me some exciting moments lately, in the pursuit of my newest hobby. Sandhill Cranes, which I never get tired of photographing, seem to be thinning out in numbers, but there is always a new opportunity to photograph a new bird I haven't seen before, as the cranes make their way south on their migratory path. My latest joy is in photographing the Snow Goose. A large flock of them finally stopped at the river in Galt. I had spotted them for the first time on January 10th, when Alan and I decided to explore birding possibilities in Rio Vista. I saw a large gathering on the side of the highway, but there was nowhere to stop and do a photo. The photos I did manage, out of a moving car no less, where okay, but they were definitely not up to my usual posting standards. You can imagine my delight when I found them in Galt, less than ten days later.

 

January 16th was a very good day for finding birds at the Cosumnes River Reserve. There were some of my favorites, like the Cinnamon Teal, and the Sanhill Crane, but the number of Snow Geese made it nearly impossible to not get some good photos. I got to see them up close and I was able to give the camera one hell of a workout doing some action photos as they landed. But as amazing as that opportunity was, I was ecstatic to see some, American White Pelicans, sunning themselves on a sandbar, in the middle of the  Snow Geese that were swimming in the river. It was an amazing find. I had no idea that pelicans came that far inland. I was under the impression that if I wanted to see one, it would require a trip to Bodega Bay, or perhaps Point Reyes. After doing a little research, it turns out they visit the delta every year, so I can now look forward to photographing them in the future. 

 

My mood is getting better. My depression is lifting. And dare I say it? I am happy! We are basically at the end of January, and I have counted 18 different birds species so far. I need to do some more editing and I need to do some yard photography, but I will be ending this month with a decent count of birds. I can't wait to see what birds I will discover in February. I need to check out some new places, and do some research into cities that have festivals in honor of birds, like Lodi does, around the Sandhill Crane, and the Snow Goose in Chico. I am pretty sure that, due to Covid-19, most festivals will be cancelled this year, just as they were in 2020, but visiting the web pages for festivals in prior years is a big help in planning for next year. The Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyby, is giving me something to look forward to in January of 2022!

 

Snow Geese

January 16th 2021

Cosumnes River Reserve

Galt, California

 

American White Pelican

Cosumnes River Reserve

January 16th 2021

Galt, California

 

~Carly

 

Perp Walk The Fucking Horse Already!

 

"Reality is the leading cause of stress

 amongst those in touch with it."

 

~Jane Wagner

 

 

 Trump Time

 

So, what a year, am I right? Wow, the last 7 months of 2021 have been crazy! Wait... what's that? We are only on day 8? Nah... you joke! What's that? No? You're not kidding? It's only day 8 of 2021? But... when did Trump make that call to Georgia election officials, you know, when he tried to coerce them into finding votes that never existed? That was Sunday? That was last Sunday, and we found out it, gulp, last Monday? Monday of this week? We did? This week? So, that means that it's Friday, January 8th, 2021. Right?

 

Fucking KILL ME. 

 

All kidding aside, I know this shit will be over in time, if nothing else, Trump will HAVE TO LEAVE OFFICE ON JANUARY 20th WHETHER HE LIKES IT OR NOT. But the next 12 days hold the potential for a nothing but bullshit and tragedy. Who the fuck knows what he's capable of? He was kicked off Facebook for inciting violence, and he was in a 12 hour time out on Twitter, for similar reasons, although it seems he was forgiven, because he posted a hostage video last evening, where he faked sanity. Ordinarily I would link to it, but why? We all know they slipped him some anti-psychotics or something, and he will just spazz-out when they wear off, it's a long standing pattern will the Captain Psychotic. But boy, he sure does seem happy. Like he doesn't have a care in the world.

Most of us in the Resistance would kill to possess that kind of smug asshole-ish super ability. The ability to sleep at night with NO CONSCIENCE OR SENSE OF REALITY WHATSOEVER, to worry about! He no doubt tucks himself in at night, hugs his Big Mac, and drifts off to sleep plotting some wildly undemocratic, anti-American shitshow for the next day. It's his "thinking time". No waking with sweat pouring down his face. No night terror screaming, "HOLY SHIT WHO GAVE HIM A FOOTBALL?... while snoring. All we want is to be able to sleep too. Understand? See, I just want to sleep and not worry about the craven abilities and inclinations of a "horse loose in a hospital" or "toddler with a flamethrower."

12 more days until Biden Day.

 

What could happen regarding Captain Trumps?

25th Amendment? Gee, that sounds nifty.

Impeachment? For the second time? Yes please.

Arrest for launching a coup against the United States?

Is it my birthday? You don't have to ask me twice!

 

I mean he has to face some sort of consequences, right?

 

Look what he's done...

 

 

In case your wondering about my original photo at the top of this post, there is a small bird hiding in the tree. It saw me trying to take it's photo, and began teasing me. I am sure of it. It was fun. Birds get used to people with cameras in their hands. It was this past Sunday. I remember its like it was just yesterday. It was Alan, and me. We were at Woodbridge. There were a ton of small birds, of all kinds, flying in and out of trees, making a lot of noise, and playing, and I was happy. It was the beginning of the new year, and I was photographing new birds for my 2021 bird album. That pretty bird is the Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's Warbler). It is one of the first 10 birds to make it into my album, the next day I spotted, a few in my neighbors yard. I was really enjoying that challenge. They are fast little birds. But right now, I am scared and tired and I have a headache. I am unhappy. I want someone to make it stop. Fortunately, I trust Nancy Pelosi, so I know it will eventually stop. Someone will perp walk the horse out of the hospital. Right?

 

 

Enough Is Enough. Impeach The Motherfucker Already.

 

 ~Carly